Jan. 15 marks the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – one of the country’s most prominent civil rights leaders –and Florida A&M University’s interim President Timothy Beard celebrated the day by giving a keynote address in his honor.
He was selected to be the speaker of the 2025 Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration held Wednesday at the Leon County Courthouse Rotunda.
Standing in front of over 100 people who gathered and listened attentively, Beard said he was “thrilled, elated, flattered and humbled” about the opportunity.
“I am living the dream,” Beard said during his speech. “As a matter of fact, I am the dream – not so much because of what I’ve done, but because of a man who laid down his life not just for his friends, but for this country. What a gratitude that we owe to him as he gave his life knowing that, prophetically, America would be a better nation.”
Related news: FSU, FAMU to hold events in honor of civil rights pillar Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Wednesday event – which began with the audience singing the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – was hosted by the Leon County Government, the MLK Foundation and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It also comes a few days ahead of MLK Day on Monday.
As Beard – a Port St. Joe native who began his interim presidential role at FAMU in August – gave his speech on King’s birthday, he recalled his own birth story as the sixth child in his family in the early 1960s, where he was born “during a time of deep separation in this country.”
He shared that when his mother was in labor, she wasn’t allowed to enter through the front door of a nearby hospital in the small town because she was Black.
“She had to go around to the back. Unfortunately, she didn’t quite make it, so I was born on the ground,” Beard told the crowd. “But don’t get disturbed – I may have been born on the ground, but I didn’t stay there.”
“Because of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I was able to get up,” he added as the audience cheered him on. “I was able to get up because of his life and the sacrifices of many others who fought for justice for all. Almost 63 years later, I’m not just up off the ground – I’m thriving because of people like Dr. King.”
King was assassinated in 1968 but is remembered as one of the most commemorated civil rights leaders in the mid-1950s through his nonviolent acts for social change.
“The leaders of several different civil rights organizations got together and recognized that the movement needed a leader,” said Mutaquee Akbar, immediate past president of NAACP’s Tallahassee branch. “It needed a voice, and what has been clear is that Dr. King understood the assignment.”
During Beard’s speech, he highlighted nonviolence, unity and love as three critical components that King strongly stood for. He also referred to an excerpt from King’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, where he stated “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”
“There’s still work to be done,” Beard said, “but the good news is Dr. King has left us the blueprint of how ‘we shall overcome.’ ”
Beard’s keynote address Wednesday was followed by a standing ovation, and he received the MLK 2025 Guardian of Legacy award. A few others were also recognized for their local contributions in the areas of fair housing, community impact, equal justice, community activism and human rights.
Dr. Timothy Beard, Interim President of Florida A&M University, presented the keynote speech during the 2025 Annual MLK Celebration at the Leon County Courthouse on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.
The MLK awards were presented to:
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Brenda Williams, Executive Director, Tallahassee Housing Authority
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Jessica Yeary, Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit, State of Florida
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Cecka Rose Green, Executive Director, Children’s Services Council of Leon County
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Sheila Morris, Community Activist
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Barbara DeVane, Humanitarian
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Karen Woodall, Humanitarian
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Curtis Taylor, President and CEO, Tallahassee Urban League
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Alan Williams, Biden-Harris Administration 2021-2025
“Today, we reflect on the progress that we’ve made, the work that remains and the responsibility we all share in building a world where justice is not a privilege but a right for us all,” NAACP Tallahassee branch President Adner Marcelin said at the event.
As the individuals celebrated and remembered King’s life and legacy, they also acknowledged their first time holding the MLK event in the Leon County Courthouse since the building’s recent renaming in honor of Judge Augustus D. Aikens Jr. in November upon his retirement.
The capital city’s celebrations in remembrance of King will continue throughout the week as FAMU will have its annual MLK Convocation at 10:10 a.m. Friday in the Lee Hall Auditorium on campus with Leon County School Board member Darryl Jones as the event’s keynote speaker.
Other local events related to MLK Day, such as the annual parade on North Monroe Street, can be found on the city’s webpage at https://www.talgov.com/parks/mlkparade.
Why isn’t the federal holiday on King’s actual birthday?
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year, rather than on King’s actual birthday because of the federal government’s adherence to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
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This law, passed in 1968 and effective in 1971, aimed to provide workers with more consistent three-day weekends by moving certain holidays to Mondays.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU interim President Timothy Beard gives speech at MLK celebration